Department of Theatre and Dance

Department of Theatre and Dance
R. Paul Gatrell (Chair), Jim Al-Shamma, Debbie Belue, Bill Feehely, Brent Maddox, Jessica Mueller, Robin Berg*, Shirley Blackburn*, Ross Bolen*, Alicia Fuss*, Carrie Gerow*, Shawn Knight*, Lynette Kraft*, Virginia Lamothe*, Caroline Locorriore*, Maggie Pelton*, Caroline Perreault*, and Cynthia Tucker*.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is committed to developing the compassionate, well-rounded artist, possessing a professional work ethic and a desire to serve the greater community through the transformative power of the performing arts.

Misson Statement:

Our mission is to mentor students in the development of their artistic skills, creative abilities, and critical faculties by providing them with a solid foundation of history, theory, technique, and practical experience in the theatre and related disciplines.

Purpose:

To provide thorough instruction and guidance for students who are in the process of developing their artistic skills and sensibilities.  

The Department of Theatre and Dance Values:

We value:

• The ideal of ensemble and collaboration to create truly transformative art
• Challenging students through rigorous training in a liberal arts setting
• Students with personal integrity and a strong work-ethic
• Diverse student artists with a broad range of competencies
• Theatre that integrates the artistic with the academic
• An actor training program with an intensive foundation in the Meisner technique
• Creating a compassionate Christian program that endorses the entertainment artist's civic and moral duty to engage and transform the world locally and globally.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is committed to a liberal arts foundation as an effective means of preparing students who want to pursue theatre as a life’s work. This commitment is reflected in the system of training that stresses the collaborative and inter-disciplinary nature of the theatrical performance and production process. The department offers two programs of study. The first is the Bachelor of Fine Arts model which requires intensive focus in four emphasis areas; Performance, Directing, Production Design, and Theatre Education. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is designed to prepare students for professional careers in a variety of performance, design, or educational-related fields or for graduate school. The second is the Bachelor of Arts degree model, which requires that students be exposed to the cultural, socio-political, and historical knowledge that serves as the core of the theatrical tradition and current professional standards.